Pete Buttigieg says 2,200 aborted fetal remains found in his city ‘disturbing’ but don't politicize
Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg recently commented on the discovery of about 2,200 fetal remains at the home of a deceased abortionist who practiced in South Bend, Indiana, where Buttigieg serves as mayor.
In comments to the press made on Wednesday, Buttigieg explained that while he found the discovery to be troubling, he did not want it to be made political.
“Like everyone, I find the news out of Illinois extremely disturbing, and I think it’s important that it be fully investigated,” stated Buttigieg in a video interview with Max Lewis of WSBT.
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“I also hope it doesn’t get caught up in politics at a time when women need access to healthcare. There’s no question that what happened is disturbing. It’s unacceptable. And it needs to be looked into fully.”
On Sept. 3, former abortionist Dr. Ulrich Klopfer passed away. When his family went through his home, they found a large number of medically preserved aborted babies, later found to be 2,246 in total.
Klopfer had overseen three abortion clinics in Indiana, including one in South Bend. He was practicing when Buttigieg was elected mayor in 2011.
Klopfer's license was suspended in 2015 when he failed to report the rape of an under-aged girl.
At a Medical Licensing Board hearing held in August 2016, Klopfer said that he did not believe he was obligated to report every incident in which a minor becomes pregnant.
“If I have a child, 13 or 14, coming to the clinic for an abortion with their mother or father or both, it doesn't mean in each and every case it's child abuse,” claimed Klopfer, as reported by WSBT in 2016.
Kevin Bolger, a criminal defense attorney representing Klopfer’s wife, explained to local media that the family was unaware of the preserved remains of aborted babies.
“I’ve been doing this for over 40 years, and before that I was a Chicago policeman. I thought I saw it all, and obviously I didn’t,” stated Bolger, as reported by CBS.
Former Indiana governor and current Vice President Mike Pence took to social media to denounce the find, saying it "should shock the conscience of every American."
"While I was Governor of Indiana we took his medical license away & passed a law requiring fetal remains be treated with dignity," tweeted Vice President Pence.
"His actions should be fully & thoroughly investigated, the remains of the unborn must be treated with dignity & respect & this abortionists defenders should be ashamed. We will always stand for the unborn."
Jackie Walorski and Jim Bank, members of Congress who both represent Indiana, have reportedly called for a federal investigation into the discovery at Klopfer's house.
As with his Democratic rivals, Buttigieg is pro-choice on the abortion debate. At one point, he claimed that the Bible supported his views and suggested that life begins with the first breath.
“Right now, they hold everybody in line with this one piece of doctrine about abortion, which is obviously a tough issue for a lot of people to think through morally,” said Buttigieg in a recent radio interview, as reported by the Washington Examiner.
“Then again, there's a lot of parts of the Bible that talk about how life begins with breath. So even that is something we can interpret differently.”
However, evangelical Pastor Rhyan Glezman, Buttigieg’s brother-in-law, denounced the claim, responding that “God places a very high value on all human life.”
“Everyone is created fearfully and wonderfully in the image of God with intrinsic value. That doesn't start at the first breath, it starts when we enter our mother's womb,” said Glezman.
